Devonport City Council pay offer knocked back

DEVONPORT City Council staff have resoundingly rejected a $20-a-week pay rise offer from the council and are seeking a pay increase of $32 a week.

In a report tabled at the recent council meeting, new general manager Paul West said the council's wage offer made under the enterprise agreement was for a $1040 per year flat pay increase across the board. The proposed term of the agreement was for two years.

Mr West's report said he met with an Australian Services Union organiser to talk about the outcome of the recent vote on the agreement and the union advised that the only issue that was not acceptable to their members was the pay increase.

Union regional organiser in the North-West, Dennis Mullins, said during wage negotiations the council had a view it was not going to move on its offer of a $20 a week rise.

Mr Mullins said council staff were not making an exorbitant wage claim and were of the view that by the time they paid tax on $20 a week it was more like a rise of $14.

He said with recent rises in the true cost of living it meant council staff needed a $40 a week pay rise just to break even.

"Even with a $32 per week rise they are going back a little bit," Mr Mullins said.

He said the staff vote to reject the council's offer was unprecedented. Of 182 council staff eligible to vote 161 voted and 123 voted not to accept a $20 rise.

A Fair Work Commission hearing on February 5 accepted the union's application for a ballot of all union members at the Devonport City Council seeking approval to take industrial action in support of their claim for increased wages.

The council objected to the union proposal for a ballot, with the council preferring the matter be further discussed with the enterprise agreement committee.

Mr Mullins said after a ballot was conducted staff voted in favour of taking protected industrial action.

He said the union would meet with council staff next week to discuss what industrial action if any they would take.